Officials concerned, issue Stage Two warning

Published: Thursday, March 30, 2000

DALLAS {AP} Dallas officials on Wednesday upped the ante on water restrictions after tests showed a key reservoir for the city would be closed indefinitely after being contaminated with the gasoline additive MTBE, a suspected carcinogen.

"We're very concerned about the gas spill and its impact on the water supply," city manager Ted Benavides said.

He issued the Stage Two warning on Tuesday, barring customers from using water to hose off sidewalks, in decorative fountains or similar purposes.

The announcement came almost a month after a pipeline owned by Tulsa, Okla.-based Explorer Pipeline Co. ruptured March 9, spilling 500,000 gallons of MTBE treated fuel into East Caddo Creek, which drains into Lake Tawakoni.

The Dallas Water Utilities Department was notified immediately of the spill and stopped drawing water from the lake. No MTBE entered the system, said utility director Terrace Stewart.

The 36,000-acre East Texas reservoir provides about a third of the city's water supply, Benavides said. That loss, and ongoing drought conditions, have amplified the water shortage.

Benavides said he would ask members of the Dallas City Council next week to start harsher restrictions on May 1.

So-called Stage Three restrictions would set specific dates and times for watering lawns, and prohibit new permits for swimming pools.

Stewart said the city plans to build a $12 million pipeline to funnel extra water from Lake Ray Hubbard. The utility serves 1.9 million residents in Dallas and 19 nearby cities.

Another project underway is a $180 million pipeline connecting the city to Lake Fork, a reservoir in Wood County.